Sakaal Times: City-based activists of Savarkar Rashtriya Prabodhan Sanstha (Nashik), along with other organisations, have initiated a campaign for raising a memorial of Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar at Marseilles in France, to mark the centenary of the freedom fighter’s historical jump into sea during his captivity.
“Savarkar, who was arrested in London on March 13, 1910, escaped from the captivity of British Police by jumping off into the sea of Marseilles, while he was being taken to India for trial. This year’s July 8 will mark the beginning of the centenary year of this historical event,” the vice-president of the Sanstha, Vidyadhar Nargolkar told Sakal Times.
“We have intensified our efforts for Savarkar’s memorial at Marseilles, on this occasion. We are hopeful about the successful completion of our mission within next year,” he said.
Nargolkar said the local administration in Marseilles had given its written consent for setting up the memorial way back in the mid-nineties, but the project could make no headway owing to apathy on the part of the Centre.
“We will meet the state chief minister Ashok Chavan in Mumbai on Wednesday. Through him, we will pursue the matter with the President Pratibha Patil,” he said, adding that the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had already been updated about the issue when he was the external affairs minister. The initiatives like signature campaigns, rallies would be held to garner public support for the memorial.
